Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Jordan Nolan led the offensively challenged Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in points with 43 and penalty minutes with 158. The team as a whole was dead last in the OHL standings with little positive to speak of on the season. Nolan played in all situations, including acting as enforcer for the team.

2009-10: In 49 games with the SOO Greyhounds Nolan posted 23 goals, 25 assists, and 88 PIM. After his season was finished he joined the Ontario Reign of the ECHL and posted 1 goal and 1 assists in 3 games.

2010-11: Nolan skated in 75 games for the Manchester Monarchs in his first pro season and served as a policeman for some of the more talented skaters while playing an effective energy game. Nolan was third on the Monarchs with 115 PMs, including 10 fighting majors, and was -2 with 5 goals and 12 assists. The Monarchs finished second in the Atlantic Division and faced eventual AHL champion Binghamton in the first round. Nolan skated in all seven playoff games for Manchester and was -2 with 2 assists and 4 PMs.

2011-12: Nolan made his NHL debut with the Kings in February and steadily established himself as a fixture in a lower line defensive forward role. After skating in 26 regular season games, Nolan played in all 20 games during Los Angeles' playoff run to the Stanley Cup. Nolan scored 2 goals with 2 assists and was plus-two with 28 penalty minutes in the regular season and in the playoffs he scored 1 goal with 1 assist and was plus-one with 21 penalty minutes; averaging 7:17 minutes of ice time. In 40 games with AHL Manchester prior to being called up he scored 9 goals with 13 assists and was plus-six with 119 penalty minutes.

Talent Analysis

The son of NHL coach Ted Nolan, Jordan is solidly built with a large frame filled out with plenty of muscle. While not in the heavy-weight class of enforcers, he can more than hold his own and play a defensive forward role to keep himself on the ice.

Future

Nolan was a part of the Kings' run to the 2012 Stanley Cup and is likely to stick with the club whenever the NHL lockout ends.

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Photo: Rookie pro Tyler Toffoli has made a seamless transition to the AHL in 2012-13, leading the Manchester Monarchs with 26 goals so far this season. (courtesy of Fred Kfoury/Icon SMI)

On the Stanley Cup winning roster of the 2012 Los Angeles Kings, there were 12 homegrown, King-drafted players, 10 of whom had spent time in the AHL with the Manchester Monarchs at some point in their career. Over the years the team has built from the draft and tried to develop talent from within rather than trading or building through free agency.

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Photo: The fourth overall pick in 2007, defenseman Thomas Hickey is still trying to find his game in the AHL as part of the Manchester Monarchs' blue line corps. (courtesy of Fred Kfoury/Icon SMI)

The Los Angeles Kings minor league affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, is absolutely packed and brimming with talent of all shapes and sizes. Through recent drafting and promotion of junior level prospects, the Monarchs have filled their lines and pairings with a wealth of two-way talent, defensive talent, goal-scorers, and grinders.

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Photo: Though the Columbus Blue Jackets added several important prospects this past off-season, none were more prominent than defenseman Ryan Murray, who was selected second overall in the 2012 NHL Draft. (Derek Leung/Getty Images)

Below is the bottom third of the NHL Team Rankings in terms of prospects as voted on by Hockey's Future staff. To determine the ranking, each team's entire prospect pool was taken into consideration. For reference, just the top five prospects are listed. To be eligible, a prospect must meet HF's prospect criteria. The rankings are done twice a year, with the second scheduled to be published in the Spring.

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Photo: Two-way blueliner Jake Muzzin is one of the Los Angeles Kings' top defensive prospects playing with the AHL's Manchester Monarchs in 2012-13. (courtesy of Fred Kfoury/Icon SMI)

For many years running now the Los Angeles Kings have had one of the best youth systems in the NHL. However, with promotions of players, deals involving picks, and later round selections, the pool has diminished slightly over time. It is the natural progression of a rebuilding mode that has given the organization three top-five picks since 2007 and seven top-15 picks since 2005.